Abstract
Three fish assemblages (functional groups according to estuary use) were examined, which presented different responses to environmental variations, mainly associated to the dry and rainy seasons and high and low salinities and temperatures in the Buenaventura Bay estuary, Colombia, Tropical Eastern Pacific. In total, 4674 individuals were collected, belonging to 69 species of 29 families. The most abundant species was Sphoeroides trichocephalus (35% of the total density). The assemblage of estuarine-resident fishes showed high tolerance to environmental variations since these were present all along the estuary and throughout the year. The assemblage of marine estuarine–dependent species was associated with the rainy season and low salinities and temperatures. The assemblages of marine estuarine opportunist fishes were associated with areas of higher environmental variability in both seasons, dry and rainy. Fish species belonging to the same functional group showed variations in their response to environmental changes which evidenced complex spatial and temporal dynamics. Understanding these changes is necessary to generate effective management plans based on scientific ecological knowledge, which include environmental impacts present in this estuary such as microplastics, heavy metals, and effects of dredging, and their effects on the ecosystem.
Highlights
The estuaries are characterized by their high geomorphological and environmental complexity, which is reflected in their high physicochemical variability (Elliott and Quintino 2007; Day et al 2012), which is strongly relatedCommunicated by S
Spatial and temporal patterns were observed in the environmental variables showing seasonal variations in salinity, which was higher in the dry season, corresponding to January and June, and lower in the rainy season, corresponding to July and December (19.1 ± 0.8), including all study areas (Fig. 2)
The highest variability in salinity was recorded in the rainy season in area 3 (A3) (coefficient of variation (CV) 28.3%) (Fig. 2b)
Summary
The estuaries are characterized by their high geomorphological and environmental complexity, which is reflected in their high physicochemical variability (Elliott and Quintino 2007; Day et al 2012), which is strongly relatedCommunicated by S. The estuaries are characterized by their high geomorphological and environmental complexity, which is reflected in their high physicochemical variability (Elliott and Quintino 2007; Day et al 2012), which is strongly related. The effect of the environmental variability on the structure of estuarine fish assemblages at different scales is well documented (Whitfield 1999), and in general, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the estuarine processes and their mechanisms at each particular estuary (Sheaves and Johnston 2009; França et al 2011; Vilar et al 2013; Teichert et al 2017), which is somewhat addressed in this study. Estuaries are important for their importance as spawning areas, which influence the distribution of fish and invertebrates
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